Miasma
by Rheya22
Summary: SPOILERS FOR PERSONA 4- Adachi is struggling for his sanity after coming into contact with his shadow. He doesn't know how to escape and is terrified that he is going to harm someone he cares about. Set during the events in P4. Possible AdachixDojima.
1. Chapter 1

Just in case you didn't see in the preview, there are MAJOR SPOILERS FOR PERSONA 4 in this story.  
Anyways, this is kind of my own spin on what Adachi went through during the events of Persona 4. I may make things a little different from what actually happened in P4. Probably nothing huge, but then again you never know~  
Sorry this chapter is a bit short, I have the next one most of the way done, but I'm super tired right now and it's a school night. I don't want to try and rush it and end up with crap.  
And if this does start to sound a bit familiar, I did, one upon a time, have about two chapters of this posted on another account so that could be why. I've made quite a few changes, and made it better, at least in my opinion.  
Okay I'm done talking now. Enjoy, and don't forget to review!

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Persona 4, and I never will, so this is the only time I'm saying this!

* * *

January 18th 2011

I had tried being positive. Tried telling myself that maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Tried thinking that maybe it would be a nice break from the rush of the city. I had been telling myself that the entire month since I got word from above that I would be sent to the quiet countryside of Inaba, but as I pulled up to the gas station, the only thing that was running through my mind was _this sucks._

I sighed as I turned off the car and stepped out into the cold January air. The crisp air cut through my coat, and I started to feel a chill right away. A very feminine looking boy, with long silver hair greeted me as I got out.

"Just give me 2000 yen's worth," I said as I unenthusiastically handed him the money.

"Right away sir!" He cheerily replied and went to fill up the tank.

I leaned against my car, and put my hands in my pockets. It was cold enough out that I could easily see my breath, but after a few hours of sitting in the car, it felt good to stretch my legs out. The air was refreshingly clean compared to the city air I was used to. I looked to my left and, despite a slight fog, saw the small shopping district. It was just as run down as I had remembered from driving though it that morning. The handful of shops that were actually still in business were quaint, little shops, most of them getting ready to close for the day.

"Are you travelling?" I heard the attendant say behind me as he closed the gas tank.

"No," I answered, "Moving in actually."

"Wow really? Where from?"

"The city," I said, unable to keep the gloom out of my voice.

He laughed, "this place probably looks like the middle of nowhere to you then."

"Yeah," I sighed. _Like I needed to be told that, _"it seems peaceful at least." _Which will make my job incredibly boring. _

The attendant walked towards me holding out his hand for me to shake. "Well then, welcome to Inaba. If you ever need to know where anything is, feel free to stop by, I work here just about every day."

"Thanks." I smiled, my mood somewhat lightened by his friendly welcome. I shook his hand, but as soon as I did, I got the strangest feeling that I shouldn't have. Something about the handshake just felt off. It wasn't that the handshake itself was strange, but something wasn't right and I couldn't put my finger on it. I pulled away from his grip, a slightly confused expression on my face, only to see him smiling.

"I hope you enjoy your time in Inaba sir. I know it looks a bit run down, but you never know what you might find to do around here." He turned away and walked back towards the building without waiting for me to reply.

I stood there for a moment, almost stunned, before shaking my head and getting back in the car. _I must just be tired; _I thought as put my seatbelt on and started the car. I turned the heat on and began to pull away from the station, but before I left the parking lot I realized that I was feeling nauseated, and slightly dizzy. _Figures, _I think, _as soon as I get to this damn town I start feeling sick. Must be a sign. _Of course at the time, I never would have guessed the real reason behind my sudden sickness. To think, it all started with a simple handshake.

* * *

I apologize once again for how short this is, but I felt that this was a good place to stop. The next chapter should up soon, most likely tomorrow afternoon. I hope you've enjoyed the first chapter!


	2. Chapter 2

So my life kind of got all crazy all of a sudden and it took me forever and a half to update this. I apologize! It's summer vacation now so I should be updating more often.

Either way, here's chapter two!

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January 18th 2011

I arrived at the house as the sun was setting in the sky. It was quite close to the horizon, casting the melancholy rays of twilight throughout the neighborhood. The house was the same as it had been when I drove in with the movers earlier that morning. It was a small, plain, two-story house. It was comprised of two bedrooms, one bathroom, a laundry room, a rather cramped kitchen, and a small living room.

The short walkway led me to a covered stoop. I walked up it carefully as it was covered with a thin layer of snow and ice. I unlocked the door and walked into a small entryway that led straight into the kitchen. The house was as I had left it that morning. The few pieces of furniture in the kitchen and living room were covered in boxes waiting to be unpacked. _My new home, _I thought, but it didn't feel like home at all. At least not yet.

I pulled out a few necessities from some of the boxes deciding to leave the last of my belongings I brought in the car for tomorrow. I was too tired to deal with it today, not to mention I still felt somewhat nauseated for some reason. _It must have been something I ate earlier, _I had thought. I had a few days before I started my new job anyways, so I decided to finish unpacking during that time.

I went upstairs, washed my face, and brushed my teeth. I walked into the bedroom; it seemed empty compared to the kitchen and living room with only a few boxes and a mattress to occupy it. My new bedroom furniture was supposed to be delivered within the next few days. The bedroom furniture in my old house had been in rough shape since I had had it since I was a teenager so I decided to get rid of it. Not to mention I had gotten tired of looking at it and thinking of my parents house.

I opened a few of the boxes in search of my bedding. I made the bed, and threw a sheet over the only window in the bedroom to keep the morning sun out. I rummaged through another box searching for my pajamas. I made a mess of the rest of my clothes before I found them, but I was too tired to care. I quickly changed and plopped down in bed. I wrapped the blankets around me; they still smelled like my old apartment. I briefly wondered how long it would take me to get used to this two before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

I was surrounded by a thick, oppressive fog. The only thing visible was a small area around me. I was standing on a walkway of large, vividly red blocks. They seemed to be suspended in midair. It didn't make sense. I could hear what seemed to be wind blowing and a faint creaking sound in the distance. I felt out of place.

I wasn't sure why, but something seemed to be urging me down the path. I slowly began to walk, and then I started jogging. The fog was disorientating but I continued to follow the path anyways. After about a minute of following the path, I heard a shrill noise and then a genderless voice. "Do you seek the truth…?" After a short pause, I began walking again. Part of me wanted to find the source of this voice, but another part of me wasn't so sure.

After a few more steps I heard the same shrill noise and the voice started again "If it's truth you desire come find me…" _What is all this about the truth? _I wondered. It's was clear then that the voice was coming from up ahead. I started to walk again and I reached a door. The door was tall and square with alternating rows of red and black.

I wasn't sure why, but I could sense that someone was just beyond the door. It was a strong presence, and not a good one. There seemed to be malice coming from whatever was behind the door. For a moment I considered opening it, but then I took a few steps back and glanced behind me. _Do I really need to know what's behind that door? Maybe I should go back. It doesn't really matter does it? _ I took a few more steps back when the noise happens again along with the voice. "Sometimes it's better not to know the truth isn't it…? To live in a ignorant, but safe world…" _What the hell does that mean. _I felt as though I was frozen in place, afraid of what might be behind the door. My will to open it and discover what might await me was quickly fading. Suddenly a hand was resting on my shoulder and I heard a new, distorted, but clearly masculine voice, "ignorance is bliss, right?" I turned to see who the hand belonged to, to find that I was staring at a nearly exact copy of myself, but instead of the usual brown, his eyes were an unearthly yellow. Before I had the chance to think about things any further, the fog became unbearably thick and my consciousness began to fade.

* * *

January 19th 2011

The light coming through the thin sheet covering my window woke me the next morning. I had an uneasy feeling, but I wasn't quite sure why. I felt like I had had a bad dream during the night, but I couldn't quite remember the details. I pushed the thought out of my mind and headed downstairs to make breakfast. It wouldn't be until much later that everything became clear, and I realized just why I had the nagging feeling that something was very wrong.

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I hope you've enjoyed reading this! Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

Well that took forever! School attacked again, and I apologize for taking so damn long to update. It is a longer chapter though so hopefully that somewhat makes up for it /shot.

I'm really hoping that the next chapter will be up much, much faster than this. I've been spending the past few days planning, and I just wrote this earlier today. I also have a better idea of where I'm going with this.

Enough of my nonsense though, enjoy the story!

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January 24th 2011

There he was smiling at me in an amused sort of way. Just standing there in the fog smugly looking back at me, with his bright yellow eyes. His hands were in the pockets of the black suit he was wearing. My black suit. His hair shifted in the wind. His shoulders slightly shook as if he was laughing, but I couldn't hear any laughter. I hated looking at him. I wanted nothing to do with him. He shared, my appearance, but he felt so different from me. Something about him was just repulsive.

He took a few steps toward me and began to laugh harder. _What the hell is so funny, _I thought, and then it all came rushing back to me. The haunting voice, the door I didn't open, the feel of his hand on my shoulder…

* * *

I woke up to the shrill noise of my alarm. I groggily reached over and turned it off. _What a fucked up dream. _I sat up in bed, not sure to make of my dream. _What was with him? Why was I so disgusted with him? And that door… Why hadn't I remembered it before?_ I shook my head. _Who cares, it was just a dream. I don't have time for this. _

It was 6am and I had to be to work by 7am. I reluctantly rolled out of bed, leaving the warmth of my blankets. It was still dark outside, I hated waking up so early, but I pushed the negative thoughts out of my head and walked into the bathroom to shower. _It's my first day of work I have to at least try to start on a positive note. _

I was dressed and downstairs by 6:30. I didn't have to leave for another fifteen minutes so I had time to enjoy my breakfast. I got some coffee started and made some eggs and toast. I sat down on the living room couch to eat my breakfast. I had unpacked just about everything in the past few days so it was starting to feel more like home. I quickly finished off my food and sat there drinking my coffee, which had plenty of creamer in it as always. As I enjoyed the last of my coffee I noticed the sun was coming up. I could just make out the small covered porch, which led out to the fenced in backyard through the sliding glass door. There were a few trees planted in the yard, and a garden of sorts running along the fence and on either side of the stairs the led to the yard. I wondered what it would look like once everything started growing in the spring and summer.

I stood up and stretched, put my dishes in the sink, and then put my shoes and coat on. I grabbed my keys and walked out the door, wondering what today held in store for me.

* * *

It took me a little less than ten minutes to get to the police station, which was just past the "downtown" area of Inaba. I walked into a small, well-lit lobby and was greeted warmly by a secretary.

"Good morning! You must be Adachi-san," said the short, middle-aged woman.

"Yeah, good morning," I nodded.

"I'm Harumi Kichida. Just wait right there, I'll go get Dojima-san for you." She got up and briskly walked away, her high-heeled shoes tapping on the floor with each step.

Ryotaro Dojima, he was supposed to be my partner, or so the letter I received had said. I had to admit I was somewhat nervous. The last partner I'd had had been… well he always kept me on my toes to say the least. He was a greedy, and fat old man who always liked barking orders at me. I was more than glad to leave him behind. I was hoping that things would be different this time around.

I heard the secretary's heels clicking on the floor again followed by another set of footsteps. She rounded the corner of the hallway with a tall, stern man who appeared to be in his mid thirties following her. He had dark gray hair, and a bit of stubble. The man wore a gray shirt, the sleeves rolled up, along with a red tie, and black pants. _That must be him. He looks angry, _I thought worriedly.

"Here he is Dojima-san," the secretary said gesturing towards me before walking back behind her desk. Dojima continued towards me with annoyed look on his face. He seemed more likely to punch me than he was to shake my hand, and from the looks of him, it would probably be one hell of a punch. _Oh god what have I gotten into._

He stopped in front of me, "Ryotaro Dojima," he said and held out his hand. Pretty much everything about him was intimidating.

I mustered up my courage and returned his handshake "Tohru Adachi. It's nice to meet you." He had a rough grip.

"Right," He released my hand, and his stern look softened, but only a bit. "It's a relief to have you here. We're so short on people lately everyone's being run ragged."

"Glad to be here," I nervously smiled. Honestly I had no idea if I was yet or not, but I wasn't going to say otherwise.

"Good. Well, I hope you're ready to get to work right away, it's looking like we're going to have a busy day ahead of us someone called in sick."

* * *

Dojima hadn't been joking when he said to get ready to work. He gave me a brief tour of the station to begin with. As expected for a small town, the station wasn't very big. We breezed through tour so quickly I wasn't quite sure I would remember all the rooms. Other than the break room of course, since Dojima had ordered me to get him coffee from there numerous times during the day. I'm not sure which he had more that day, cups of coffee, or cigarettes.

After the tour, we began filling out paper work that needed to be done, which was really quite boring. It was a relief to get the first call of the day. Dojima immediately volunteered for us to go, saying he needed to show me the ropes. It wasn't anything big, just a small car accident outside of the tofu store downtown. It didn't take long for us to square things away. The process was similar enough to how things had been done in the city so there really wasn't much to teach me.

By the time we finished dealing with the accident, it was our turn to do patrol routes. We hopped back in the car with Dojima driving as he had been before. We began to drive through Inaba, with Dojima pointing out important locations. "As I'm sure you know, Inaba is really pretty rural so patrols can be pretty monotonous. Scenery's nice at least."

I nodded, "much nicer than the city." _I bet it is pretty damn boring though. _We drove out of downtown Inabathrough a few small neighborhoods.

"Ah, there's Junes," Dojima said as we left one of the neighborhoods. "You'll need to know where that is if you plan on getting groceries, or really anything, without driving miles away."

"Thanks, I'll keep it in mind." It was surprising to see such a huge store after all the small shops this town had.

"They opened up not all that long ago. I hear the owner's kid goes to Yasogami High."

"Huh," I paused, thinking of how to keep the conversation going so things didn't get awkward. "I bet you know quite a bit about the people here, being a cop in a small town and all."

Dojima nodded, "Yeah, you really can't help it in Inaba. Everybody knows everybody here." He scratched the back of his head. "Dunno if that's a good thing or not."

I shrugged. There was a moment of silence.

"We're uh, looping back the way we came in case you couldn't tell. We only drove through half of the town. The other two on patrol take care of the other half. Not much to see over there anyways other than the Amagi Inn."

I nodded. There was another moment of silence. I was trying to think of a way to fill it when the radio crackled to life. "We have a 415 over by the textile shop. Are there any units near by?" a female voice said.

Dojima picked up the radio immediately. "This is patrol unit 2992, we're just outside of the area, we're on our way," Dojima said turning on the lights and speeding up. "I'm assuming it's the usual suspects?"

"Yes it is, a woman called in, said there's about 5 or 6 of them there."

"10-4, we'll be there in just a few minutes," he said and returned the radio. "It's those damned biker gangs again, I'm surprised they've started this early in the day, they usually wait until after it's dark."

"Biker gangs?" I asked.

"Yeah, they were a problem last year too, but we thought we got rid of them. Apparently they've regrouped though because they've been raising hell since about the beginning of this month. Usually they take off as soon as they see us though, it won't be anything to hard to take care of."

"Huh." _Not something you'd expect in a small town like this._

As Dojima had said, we were there in minutes. What we arrived to though was the last thing I had expected. It was completely quiet when we got out of the car in front of the textile shop. A middle aged woman was standing out front. Her grey hair was tied up in a bun, and she was wearing a kimono. _What the hell happened?_

Dojima walked up to her. "Tatsumi-san, I got a call about a disturbance in the area. Do you know what's going on?"

The woman sighed, "It was the biker gangs again, making a ruckus right outside of the shop. They woke me up from my nap, and well my son…"

"Kanji-kun right?"

She nodded, "Yes he burst out the front doors yelling and then all the noise stopped."

"Has anything been damaged?" Dojima asked her.

_What kind of question is that Dojima? Shouldn't you be worried about the kid? _I thought, not sure what to do about Dojima's apparent lack of concern.

"No, not that I know… Ah there he is!" She said looking past us. "Kanji!" She yelled waving. I turned to see a very tall young man with bleached blond hair and numerous piercings walking towards the three of us. He walked right passed Dojima and I without a second glance.

"Got rid 'a those pricks for ya." He said bluntly to his mom with his back facing us.

She shook her head, "I told you to let the cops take care of that!"

The tall, blond boy looked over his shoulder at us. "Tch," he looked at us in disgust. "Fuckin' cops," he mumbled and then walked into the textile shop without another word.

"Kanji! At lest show some respect they drove all the way out here to help us out!" His mother yelled after him. "I'm sorry about my son, after you drove all the way out here Dojima-san, and um…" she paused looking at me.

"Tohru Adachi," I said bowing my head slightly.

"Adachi-san," she finished.

Dojima shook his head. "Don't worry about it. We'll be on our way then if everything here is fine."

"Oh, yes, yes. Thank you!"

Dojima nodded slightly, "Enjoy the rest of your day then." And we headed back to the car.

"You'll probably be seeing that Tatsumi kid again," Dojima said putting his seatbelt on. "I never really know what he's up to, but he hates us cops in case you couldn't tell."

"Yeah, I noticed…" _I do not want to get him pissed off._

* * *

Once our patrol shift ended we went back to the station for a brief break before another hour of paperwork. Overall, it was a decent day. What I was worried about was the fact that Dojima had implied that this would be a busy day. To me, it just seemed like a normal day's work. In the city, this was about the amount of work we had on an average day. What was "normal" for here if this was busy? I could hardly imagine a slow day. _I'm going to be bored here I know it._ But then I shook my head. _No use worrying about that now. Just take each day as it comes._

Our shift ended at five. We walked out of the station together, but as we passed by the front desk Harumi stopped us. "Adachi! Before I forget, when's your birthday?"

"February first why?"

"Ah that's so soon! We usually try to put together a little celebration for each of the staff member's birthdays, but I don't know what I'll be able to get together by then," she said disappointed.

"No, it's no big deal," I said.

"We'll have to go for a drink or something." Dojima said, smiling faintly. This was the first time he'd smiled all day. It was by no means a beaming smile, but for Dojima, I felt that this was as close as I was going to get. _Maybe he's just really serious while he's on duty? _ I thought.

"I know a really good bar just outside of town if you'd like to go," he said.

"Sure sounds good!" I smiled.

"Oh that makes me feel better," Harumi said. "I'll make sure to at least get you a cake though dear."

"Thanks." Dojima and I headed to the parking lot and went our separate ways. I wasn't quite sure what to make of my new partner just yet. I thought that maybe he was just one of those perpetually serious people, but then he invited me to go drinking with him on my birthday. _Maybe he's just really serious when he's on the job? _I wondered._ Whatever. I guess I'll find out more about him soon enough._

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And there you have it! Thanks for reading!

Don't forget to review and tell me what you thought about the chapter =)


	4. Chapter 4

Alright! It didn't take me ages to update for once! I guess it helps that I've really been in the mood to write this particular story lately. Must be because I've been watching the Persona 4 anime.

Anyways, here you go! Don't forget to review!

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February 1st 2011

"Ah, sorry I forgot to mention earlier, we can't stay out too late. I've gotta get back home to Nanako," Dojima said as the bartender filled his second glass of bourbon.

"Sure," I replied. His daughter. He told me about her the other day. Only six years old and he was leaving her home alone. I wasn't quite sure how I felt about it, but I certainly wasn't going to tell Dojima. I didn't want another fist to the back of my head, which was a habit he had picked up over the past week. Every time I screwed something up (which unfortunately seemed to be quite often) bang! A forceful blow to my skull.

"No later than nine alright?"

"Fine with me." I looked down at the drink in my hand and swirled it around so that the water from the melting ice mixed with the rest of it. _Shit, I just want to go home. _I took another sip. _Why me? Why him? He's so damn serious about every goddamned thing. He just needs to calm the fuck down. What does it matter anyway? It's not like us cops actually make a difference. We just go around flashing our badges pretending like we're actually doing some good in the world. The only good thing about this damn job is that I get to carry a gun. _My dark thoughts had suddenly consumed me and I almost entirely forgot where I was.

"Hey! Adachi!"

I shook my head to clear it. I looked up to find Dojima had a concerned expression on his face. "You alright?"

"Y-yeah fine. Just lost in though I guess." But it wasn't just that. Where did that dark mood even come from? _I don't really think that… do I?_

"Hey, take it easy we're not at the station anymore. Not to mention it's your birthday! You deserve a break." Dojima gave me one of his rare smiles that he seemed to reserve for when he was off duty.

"S-sorry Dojima-san." I looked down. _What's wrong with me? Dojima has gone out of his way to do something for me I'm not going to spoil it!  
_

He laughed. This was new. _Is the alcohol taking effect already?_

"You still on your first drink Adachi?"

I nodded.

"Come on now drink up! That's what we're here for. I already told you it's on me!"

"R-Right." I finished my drink and set my glass down. Dojima ordered the bartender to refill both of our glasses. He was already on his third drink. _I really hope he doesn't expect me to match him. I'm way too much of a lightweight for that. _

Dojima finished drink after drink and slowly our conversation became more animated.

Dojima was on about his seventh drink, and I on my third. _Damn I'm getting tipsy already. _Dojima had just finished swearing about the biker gangs.

"Hey, you haven't told me 'bout your family yet. What're they like?" The alcohol was beginning to affect his speech a bit. _Good thing we only brought my car. I'm definitely gonna have to drive him back._

"Well there's not really much to talk about. Really the only family I have is my parents."

"No siblings?"

I shook my head.

"Eh, maybe it's better that way." He set down his once again empty glass and clumsily waved at the bartender for him to fill it up. "My sister called me the other day, and y'know what she said?"

"Hm?"

"Asked me if her kid could come live with me startin' in April!"

"Live with you? That's crazy!"

"Yeah," he shook his head. "Said they have to move overseas for her husbands job or some shit. Souji's his name. Haven't even seen him since he was in diapers. "

"What did you tell her?"

"Well I said he could. I owe 'em one. They really helped me out when… when my wife died." Dojima looked down at the counter with a sigh. _I knew she wasn't living at home, but I had no idea that was why. _He looked so… vulnerable. This was definitely not something he showed at work. I wanted to say something, but I didn't know what. There was a pause. The bar had really filled up, and become rather noisy, but the break in the conversation between us was still apparent to me.

"Well," Dojima broke the silence, and looked at his watch. "We better head back."

"Sure just let me finish…" but Dojima was already gulping down his drink. I quickly followed suit.

By the time I had finished mine Dojima was already pulling money out of his wallet.

"Thanks for the drinks."

"Eh, it's your birthday. It's the least I could do." He slid the money under his empty glass.

He stood up, but began to sway a little. He grabbed on to the bar to regain his balance.

"You gonna be okay?"

He waved me off. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine."

_Somehow I doubt that._

He held on to the bar for a moment more, stabilizing himself, and then began to make his way to the door. He didn't have much trouble until we reached the stairs outside. He stepped down the first one and nearly fell flat on his face. I caught him before he had the chance to.

"Here, put your arm around my shoulders. I'll help you to the car." I wasn't feeling entirely stable myself, but clearly I was in far better shape than him.

He followed my instructions and I helped him down the remaining stairs towards the car. "Damn I should not be this drunk! I had five drinks at the most!"

"Eight actually," I smiled. _He is completely gone._

_"_Eight?"

"Possibly nine, I wasn't paying that much attention."

"Shit… I hope I left enough money. How many did you have?"

"Uh... three."

He let out a hearty laugh "lightweight!"

"Oh leave me alone," but I was smiling too.

"We're fixing that by the end of the year you got that?"

"Sure thing."

We had made it to the car and I helped him inside. "I'm driving you straight home okay? You can worry about your car tomorrow. There's no way I'm letting you drive in this state?"

"How am I gonna get to work tomorrow?"

"I'll give you a ride."

"Alright, that works."

* * *

Dojima had to force himself to stay awake on the drive back in order to give me directions to his house. The bar was just outside of town, so it didn't take terribly long to get there.

We arrived outside of his quaint, two story house. I immediately got out of the car to help him to the doorway. _There's no way he's gonna make it if I don't help him out. _

He got out of the car and put his arm around my shoulders with out me asking this time. I helped him to the front door, where he had some difficulty find the key in his pocket.

"You _do _have the key right?"

"'Course I do!" After a moment he finally pulled the key out of the pocket and was fumbling with it to unlock the door.

Nearly a minute went by and he was still not able to successfully get the key in the lock. "Ah, fuck it. It's this one," he said handing me the keys.

I took them and unlocked the door in one try before returning them.

I helped him through the doorway and let him lean on me while he took his shoes off. "You gonna be alright from here?" I asked after he finished.

"Yeah I'll be fine. Hope you had a good time tonight. Sorry I drank so damn much."

I laughed. "It's fine, I enjoyed myself."

"Good. We'll have to do this again sometime."

I nodded. "Have a good night." I said walking out the still open door.

"You too Tohru." I closed the door behind be just as he said this. _Wait, did he call me Tohru? _I shook my head. _ I bet he's gonna have one hell of a hangover tomorrow. _

I headed back to the car, through the chilly night air. I wasn't wearing a coat, but the alcohol was making me feel warm. _Dojima is a pretty good guy after all. I think I got fairly lucky, having him as a partner. _

I pulled out of the driveway and headed home where I quickly went to bed.

* * *

More should be on the way soon! Please review and let me know what you think of the story so far :)


	5. Chapter 5

So, it took me forever again. Sorry about that! Well it's summer break now, so hopefully updates will be faster! Then again I feel like I say that a lot. Ah well. I'll do what I can. Either way here's chapter 5!

* * *

**February 1****st**** 2011**

I was being forced along a path. I couldn't stop. The black and white checkered tile flew beneath my feet as an unseen force continued pushing me towards the door ahead. The door opened, I went through, and suddenly I was sitting down.

Purple covered just about every inch of the limousine I found myself in including the well-cushioned, velvety seat I sat in. The car seemed to have stopped. I wasn't sure why.

Of course, I hadn't really noticed any of this right away. What I had first noticed was the man sitting at the opposite end of the limousine from me. He was a short, almost fully bald old man, with a strikingly long nose.

"Welcome to The Velvet Room," he said in a voice that was both mysterious and somewhat unsettling. "My name is Igor. I will be assisting you, though it will only be for this one night."

I didn't know what to say. How had I gotten here? Where was here? Who in the hell was this strange old man?

"What? Um… I mean how?" It was all I could manage. I didn't have the slightest idea what was going on.

"Do not be alarmed," Igor said. "You are fast asleep in the real world…"

_I'm what?_

"I have summoned you within your dreams."

_You what?_

None of what was going through my head was very intelligent, and I'm quite sure the look on my face matched my baffled thoughts. I realized my mouth was hanging open and quickly snapped it shut, gathering my thoughts. "Where is this… this place?" A quick glance outside the windows gave me no answer all I saw was a gray haze.

Igor chuckled before answering me. "This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter."

_So I'm not really dreaming? _It didn't feel like a dream, but it certainly didn't feel like reality. A dream would have been the most logical explanation because nothing here made sense. The more I found out, the more confusing things got. "Well um… why am I here?"

Igor smiled again. "In truth, you are not meant to be here. I am, shall we say, bending a few rules for you to be able to enter here this one time, but I feel that it is important, and that it is only fair as this game she has decided to play is a bit unfair one-sided it seems. I want to give you some advice, as you may be able to save yourself. This will of course be difficult. You are not as young and innocent as my true guest. Life has not been fair too you, so you may have doubts about many things."

_What? What does this man know about my life? _I considered asking what, and how he knew anything about me, but before I could he reached his hand out above the table, and out of nowhere a deck of cards materialized. They were blue and facing downwards. There was a simple pattern on the back with a mask in the center. "You have many things ahead of you, and a number of choices to make. This is the only advice I can give you."

I leaned forward to get a better view of the table, deciding to let him do what he was going to do before I asked him anything else.

He waved his hand and I watched in awe as the cards arranged themselves one by one face down, in a hexagon of sorts with one card in the center. "Each reading is done with the same cards, yet the result is always different."

_Tarot cards? _I had never really been interested in such things, but nonetheless I was transfixed. For some reason I wanted to know what this man had to say, and felt that, whatever it may be would be important.

The man waved his hand as if turning over a card, and the card in the back left corner of the table turned over although he had not touched it. "The Wheel of Fortune in the reversed position. This card indicates your past. It seems it was a time of many misfortunes and obstacles."

When he said my past, I immediately thought of being a kid living with my parents. Specifically my dad. Feelings of anger and disgust started to rise up from with in me. My mind then when to my more recent failure back at the office in the city. I felt my body tense slightly, but then I exhaled. _What's the point in being mad now? _ I pushed the angry thoughts out of my mind as he continued the reading.

"Keep in mind, that although the past can sway future events, the past is something you are always moving away from." I noticed he was looking directly at me as though waiting for a response. I nodded briefly to let him know I had heard him. At this he moved on to turn over the next card, still without touching it.

"Ah, The Fool in the upright position. This card is representative of the present. It shows that you have recently started a new journey, am I correct?" I paused for a moment, and then nodded. I had started a new job, and moved to a new town. I wouldn't have exactly called it a journey, he was right in some sense.

Igor moved on to the card in the right corner of the table closest to me. "The Tower in the upright position," he said. "This card indicates your immediate future. It seems that a terrible catastrophe is imminent."

_A- a catastrophe? _

Igor did not pause to explain what this could have meant. He instead turned over the next card. "The card indicting the future beyond that… The Moon in the upright position. It seems that you will soon encounter an unfortunate situation. You will hesitate, unsure of how to proceed, but if you make the right choices, you may be able to overcome this situation."

_More misfortune…_

"And now, the circumstances surrounding the situation." He turned over yet another card. "The Devil, reversed. The reversed form of this card shows that you will face self doubt, and temptation. This situation will by no means be easy to overcome, and it will try you in many ways."

He was now turning over the sixth card. "The Hanged Man, reversed. This card represents your fears. According to this card you will feel entrapped, and helpless. You will fear that there is nothing you can do to make your situation better."

There was still one more card to turn over the card in the center, but Igor did not yet move towards it. He was looking at me now. "As I thought, your reading has been rather grim. You will soon have a great trial imposed upon you, and many things will be out of your control." Igor stopped. And looked into my eyes for a moment._ Is that a look of… pity?_ "I am sorry there is nothing more I can do to help you. It is unfair that the power of the gods has been turned against a mere human."

I wasn't sure what he was trying to say. He all but spoke in riddles.

"This brings us to the final card." I directed my gaze back towards the table as did he. He turned this card over as he had done with all the others, but instead of a picture like all the others had this one was simply blank.

"A blank card," he grinned. "This card represents the outcome of the situation."

"Blank?" I was confused. "Does that mean that there is no outcome, or that I have no future or something?" I began to worry. I couldn't explain why, but these cards seemed to have some kind of power to them. I couldn't help but be concerned.

Igor chuckled. "No, no. Quite the opposite in fact. This card shows that the outcome has yet to be determined. It means that there are an infinite number of possibilities that will affect the outcome. And I will have you know, most all of them rely on you."

"M-me?" It felt like such a huge responsibility.

Igor nodded. "Although there are many things that play a part in a human life, some that one cannot control, what a person does with these things is entirely up to them. Please do not forget this."

"R-right," I said. I felt as though he had told me something incredibly important. It was making me nervous.

"Humans are some of the most amazing creatures. And maybe, just, maybe you will be able to overcome the trial ahead of you and achieve a happy outcome. We shall have to see, if the humans can outsmart the gods," he grinned and laughed.

"But now, my temporary guest, it is time for you to leave this place. The shadows are drawing near, and I'm afraid we must move on."

The way he said shadows gave me an eerie feeling, and suddenly I very much wanted to leave.

"I will not be seeing you again, meaning I will not be able to give you any more advice, so please keep the advice I have given you in mind. Your future is in your own hands."

With that the room began to fade into nothingness, as did my consciousness.

* * *

**February 2****nd**** 2011**

I sat bolt upright in bed. I looked around to find myself back in my own room. Back to reality. _That dream… no not a dream. _ I had no idea what to call it. _It felt real. No it was real. It couldn't have been a dream… but then why did I just wake up from it if I wasn't dreaming? So I had an incredibly realistic dream then? …scarily realistic. _"Ah fuck!" I yelled into my silent room and ruffled my already messy hair with both of my hands as if trying to stop all of the absurd thoughts coming into my head.

_What is wrong with my mind! How many weird dreams have I had in the past few weeks now? _I let out a frustrated grunt and angrily laid back down. I stared at the ceiling for a moment and then gave a sideways glance at the alarm clock. The bright red numbers read 5:06. It was way earlier than I would usually get up, but I was wide awake. "Dammit," I grumbled as I sat back up and got out of bed.

_Guess it's alright I have to get up earlier anyways to pick up Dojima… who is probably hung over. _I walk to the shower, glad I didn't drink to much last night as I certainly did not want to be dealing with a hangover on top of this other shit.

* * *

I picked up Dojima, and as he got into the car I could certainly tell I had guessed correctly about him having a hang over. "A bit to much to drink last night Dojima?" I smiled a bit, but my smile was soon gone with his reaction. "Just, stop talking and drive. And add san to the end of my name dammit! I'm your superior."

_Oh great, _"Um, right. Sorry about that Dojima-san."

He grumbled something, and then we spent the rest of our car ride in silence. I liked drunk Dojima much better. _Too bad there's policies against drinking on the job. _I glanced at Dojima as we drove. The fact that he was squinting against the light that he was obviously sensitive to right now made him look even angrier than usual. _Oh today is just going to be a joy, I can tell, _I thought glumly. And the night before I had been thinking I had been lucky to have him as a partner. Now I wasn't so sure.

* * *

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